The present invention relates to a drink receptacle, especially in the form of a drinking bag.
There are a whole series of entities which, on contact with the human body or on absorption by the human body, lead to serious physical harm. Examples include chemical warfare agents, for example the vesicatory mustard gas (Yellow Cross) and the nerve agent sarin. People likely to come into contact or take in such poisons have to be effectively protected against such poisons through suitable protective measures.
Biological warfare agents similarly represent an enormous potential hazard to people likely to come into contact with or take in such substances.
There are appropriate protective suits to protect the body, in particular the extremities and trunk. The head and in particular the face and also the respiratory tract are generally protected by wearing respirators with or without hoods. In addition, there are specific protective gloves that provide a protective function with regard to chemical and biological warfare agents, to protect the hands.
As well as protecting the body surface and the respiratory tract, it is similarly necessary to avoid any contamination through a possible uptake of chemical and biological warfare agents in the human body, as for example through the uptake of contaminated foodstuffs. This is because, in military deployment, people and soldiers have to be supplied with food, in particular with liquid, even in environments contaminated with chemical and biological toxins, for example battle areas, since the high level of physical exertion requires an increased intake of liquid in military deployments in particular. Regarding this, it must be ensured that the supply with liquid, for example with water or other beverages, is effected without endangering the person to be supplied; that is, the intake of poisons in the human body through infected or contaminated liquids is prevented. Since participants in military deployments for example cannot always simply be withdrawn from the territory which may be contaminated with chemical and biological toxins, it must be ensured that the foodstuffs to be transported into the territory, in particular liquids, such as beverages, are not contaminated to thereby safeguard the supply of liquid. In addition, a safe and secure intake of liquid has to be ensured during deployment in the field as well.
It is prior art to use drink receptacles for military or nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) deployment that are said to provide a certain degree of protection against chemical and biological toxins.
WO 2005/011437 A1 relates to a portable drinking fluid carrier in two or more parts which comprises a flexible fluid container entirely encased within an NBC-protective cover produced from a chemically hardened material. The method of making such a two-part drink receptacle is relatively costly and inconvenient, and handling is not ideal in practice, since it is absolutely necessary that the inner fluid container be accommodated in the separate NBC-protective housing. This is disadvantageous in military deployment in particular, since fast and simple handling is required there and any degree of protection afforded according to WO 2005/011437 A1 does not become effective until the fluid container has been inserted into the housing.
US 2002/0179647 A1 relates to a hydration system for aircrew personnel in military deployment, the hydration system comprising a bladder configured to hold a fluid, the bladder comprising an outer layer of a fluorinated rubber composite. The inner layer of the bladder consists of a thermoplastic polymer. This hydration system has by virtue of the laminated plastics construction of the bladder little mechanical stability, in particular with regard to point penetration resistance puncture. This is because the absence of a stabilizing construction means that the bladder has only little resistance to point loads, in particular to puncturing by pointed or sharp articles. The hydration system is optimized for use in aircraft in that it only needs to be optimized against large area-based loads as might arise in the event of decompression in particular. For use in the field, in particular in a battle area, however, this system is unsuitable, since it precisely does not have good mechanical stability, in particular not a high point penetration resistance puncture as is required to counter pointed or sharp articles, corners, edges, etc. for example.
The present invention accordingly has for its object to provide a drink receptacle, in particular in the form of a drinking bag, having a protective function with regard to chemical and biological toxins which is suitable for military deployment or NBC deployment in particular and at least partially avoids, or at least ameliorates, the above-described disadvantages of the prior art.
The present invention further has for its object to provide a drink receptacle, in particular in the form of a drinking bag, having a protective function with regard to chemical and biological toxins, in particular NBC warfare agents, which is suitable for military deployment or NBC deployment and combines simplicity of manufacture and of construction with sufficient mechanical stability, especially a high puncture resistance (i.e. point penetration puncture resistance).
This object is achieved according to the present invention by a drink receptacle, especially in the form of a drinking bag, according to the disclosure. Further, advantageous embodiments of the drink receptacle of the present invention form the subject-matter of the dependent claims.
The present invention has for its fundamental idea that a drink receptacle having a wall composed of a flexible composite material which is water-impervious and gas-impervious and also at least essentially impervious to chemical and biological toxins, in particular warfare agents, or at least retards their passage and further comprising an outer backing layer and a film-like (foil-like) inner layer be endowed with an enhanced or improved protective performance with regard to chemical and biological toxins and with an improved mechanical stability by the backing layer being made textile-like and the inner layer being laminated onto the backing layer at least essentially coextensively. The term “coextensive” with respect to the lamination designates a continuous all-over lamination, i.e. a lamination over the whole surface of the two material pieces.
The specific construction of the composite material, featuring a textile backing layer and an inner layer laminated onto it, ensures that any chemical and biological toxins, for example chemical warfare agents or NBC warfare agents, which have succeeded in passing through the outer backing layer are effectively prevented by the blocking function of the inner layer from penetrating into the interior of the drink receptacle of the present invention. In other words, the drinking bag of the present invention possesses a high barrier effect with regard to chemical and biological toxins. In addition, the textile-like backing layer of the composite material endows the drink receptacle of the present invention with remarkable stability—especially with regard to improved point penetration/puncture resistance—so that the drink receptacle of the present invention is particularly suitable for use in a military territory or battle area.
More particularly, the drink receptacle of the present invention combines good NBC protective properties with high mechanical stability, especially point penetration/puncture resistance, and also with a greater ease of manufacture.
For the purposes of the present invention, the term “inner” identifies that region of the drink receptacle, of a wall of the drink receptacle or of a composite material of the drink receptacle that faces the drink receptacle's interior which is intended to accommodate a liquid. In other words, it refers to that region which, in the filled state, faces or is in contact with the liquid accommodated in the drink receptacle.
Furthermore, for the purposes of the present invention, the term “outer” identifies that region of the drink receptacle, of the wall of the drink receptacle or of the composite material of the drink receptacle that is disposed on the outer surface of the drink receptacle. It thus refers to that region which is in direct contact with an ambient atmosphere and not in contact with the liquid accommodated in the drink receptacle.
The term “equiareal” (as e.g. in an equiareal piece of fabric for example) refers in the context of the present invention to an at least essentially identical area size, although slight differences with regard to shape and/or size can be possible. The term “congruent” (as e.g. in congruent pieces of fabric for example) is to be understood as meaning that there is an essentially identical area size and/or an at least essentially identical shape.
“Food-compatible” (as e.g. in food-compatible inner layer for example) is to be understood in the context of the present invention as meaning in particular that a material used is at least essentially inert towards any food with which it is in contact. In other words, the materials of the constituents of the drink receptacle which are in contact with the liquid are to be chosen in the context of the present invention such that, first, the liquid is protected for example against evaporation with or without loss of aroma and, secondly, the emission of noxious entities into the accommodated liquid from the material used is avoided. For example, no dyes, plasticizers or the like should be released in particular.
Finally, “laminating” shall for the purposes of the present invention be understood as meaning the bonding together of two or more plies of identical or different materials (specifically for example the bonding together of the inner layer and of the backing layer) with or without use of suitable laminating agents. Laminating agents useful for the purposes of the present invention include for example adhesives suitable for laminating, such as hotmelts, waxes, polyethylene compounds, reactive plastics and certain natural or synthetic latex products. Laminating may be effected for example by the materials which are to be laminated together being conjoined under a contact pressure as may be exerted for example by rollers, rolls, calanders, and the like. A laminating agent may perhaps be superfluous in the case of thermotacky materials. For further observations in this regard, see Römpp Chemielexikon, 10th Edition, Volume 3, 1997, Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart/New York, Page 2088, Headword: “Kaschieren” [Lamination], and also the literature cited there.
Further advantages, properties, aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred operative examples depicted in the drawings.